Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jonathon A. Heier, Sabine Pokutta, Ian W. Dale, Sun Kyung Kim, Andrew P. Hinck, William Weis, Adam Kwiatkowski
Summary: The study reveals that alpha T-catenin has similar binding characteristics to alpha E-catenin but with differences in affinity and conformation when binding to vinculin. The N-terminus of alpha T-catenin is crucial in maintaining M-region autoinhibition and recruiting vinculin to cell-cell contacts.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Ritusree Biswas, Avinanda Banerjee, Sergio Lembo, Zhihai Zhao, Vairavan Lakshmanan, Ryan Lim, Shimin Le, Manando Nakasaki, Vassily Kutyavin, Graham Wright, Dasaradhi Palakodeti, Robert S. Ross, Colin Jamora, Valeri Vasioukhin, Yan Jie, Srikala Raghavan
Summary: Vinculin, a key mechanotransducer in cell junctions, is essential for maintaining the quiescence of bulge stem cells and regulating hair follicle cycling. Conditional knockout of vinculin in murine skin leads to weakened AJs, despite increased expression of Ecadherin and α-catenin. Mechanistically, vinculin functions by maintaining α-catenin in a stretched/open conformation, which controls the retention of YAP1 at the AJs, revealing a novel regulatory link between mechanical stability of cell junctions and maintenance of stem cell quiescence.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Lina M. Gallego-Paez, William J. S. Edwards, Manasa Chanduri, Yanyu Guo, Thijs Koorman, Chieh-Yu Lee, Nina Grexa, Patrick Derksen, Jie Yan, Martin A. Schwartz, Jan Mauer, Benjamin Thomas Goult
Summary: This study identified a previously unannotated cassette exon, referred to as exon 17b, in the TLN1 gene. The presence of this exon alters the function of the TLN1 protein in the mechanosensitive adapter system and affects cell adhesion dynamics and motility. This novel exon is detectable in multiple healthy tissues and significantly enriched in certain cancer subtypes.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Paul Atherton, Rafaella Konstantinou, Suat Peng Neo, Emily Wang, Eleonora Balloi, Marina Ptushkina, Hayley Bennett, Kath Clark, Jayantha Gunaratne, David Critchley, Igor Barsukov, Edward Manser, Christoph Ballestrem
Summary: This study reveals the critical role of tensin3 in fibrillar adhesion and fibronectin fibrillogenesis. It is associated with mechanosensors such as talin and vinculin, and the interaction between talin and tensin3 drives this process, with vinculin acting to potentiate it.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi-An Yang, Emmanuelle Nguyen, Gautham Hari Narayana Sankara Narayana, Melina Heuze, Chaoyu Fu, Hanry Yu, Rene-Marc Mege, Benoit Ladoux, Michael P. Sheetz
Summary: E-cadherin is a key molecule involved in mechanotransduction between cells in tissues. Epithelial cells are able to test and respond to the mechanical properties of neighboring cells through contractions of E-cadherin adhesions. This process requires the involvement of multiple proteins.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yuxi Yang, Shujing Li, Yulin Li, Linlin Lv, Dongman Ye, Jie Kang, Tao Yu, Yaming Wang, Huijian Wu
Summary: This study reveals that α-catenin is acetylated by p300, with acetylation sites identified as K45, K866, and K881. The acetylation of α-catenin releases the transcriptional coactivator Yap1, leading to its accumulation in the nucleus and weakening α-catenin's inhibitory effect on breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth. Acetylation of α-catenin also enhances its stability and resistance to apoptosis.
CANCER GENE THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Telmo O. Paiva, Joan A. Geoghegan, Yves F. Dufrene
Summary: The invasive bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus recruits the complement regulatory protein factor H to its surface to evade the human immune system. We discovered that the S. aureus surface protein SdrE forms an extremely high-force catch bond with fH, allowing it to effectively capture fH under mechanical stress. This binding mechanism could potentially be targeted for new therapeutics against multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Vinay Swaminathan, Martijn Gloerich
Summary: Cells are exposed to various mechanical cues from their environment and tissues, and rely on mechanosensors to transduce these cues into biochemical pathways. The coordinated response of different mechanosensors determines the cellular outcomes in response to mechanical forces.
CURRENT OPINION IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Dongmei Fu, Dazhi Xie, Fei Wang, Bin Chen, Zhen Wang, Fei Peng
Summary: T cell activation is crucial for immune response, and mechanical force can contribute to T cell activation. In this study, spiky nanomotors were fabricated and their continuous locomotion in the cellular environment generated physical cues to enhance T cell activation. This mechanical signaling has potential applications in cancer immunotherapy.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Ziqi Zhou, Jing Zhao, Ke Hu, Xiaorong Hou, Xiansong Sun, Xiaoli Pan, Xiaohui Wang, Nan Li, Zhiwei Yang, Fuquan Zhang, Qianqian Zhou, Linsheng Zhan
Summary: This study systematically examined the dose effect of radiation therapy on the in vivo homing and distribution of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells using noninvasive imaging. The results showed that radiation did not directly cause cellular apoptosis or necrosis in DCs, but induced mitochondrial damage and upregulation of certain receptors. Higher radiation doses (>= 5 Gy) significantly increased the homing ability of DCs to lymphoid tissues, and this improvement was associated with reactive oxygen species accumulation. Enhanced T cell activation was also observed in mice inoculated with higher radiation dose-treated DCs, indicating the advantages of >= 5 Gy radiation in facilitating DC homing and T cell priming.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dominik Sziklai, Judit Sallai, Zsombor Papp, Dalma Kellermayer, Zsolt Martonfalvi, Ricardo H. Pires, Miklos S. Z. Kellermayer
Summary: Titin is a multifunctional protein located in the M-band of the muscle sarcomere. The M-band serves as a framework for organizing myosin thick filaments and associated proteins. The M-complex, a globular head at the C-terminal end of titin molecules, is stable and represents the transverse unit of the M-band. High-resolution atomic force microscopy revealed the topographical and internal structure of the M-complex, and nanosurgical manipulation demonstrated its extensibility. The M-complex displays both elastic and plastic properties and may play a mechanical role in the muscle sarcomere.
Article
Biophysics
Kartikeya Nagendra, Adrien Izzet, Nicolas B. Judd, Ruben Zakine, Leah Friedman, Oliver J. Harrison, Lea-Laetitia Pontani, Lawrence Shapiro, Barry Honig, Jasna Brujic
Summary: The ectodomains of E-cadherin play a significant role in mechanosensing, as they contribute to the reinforcement and recruitment of cell-cell adhesion in response to mechanical forces.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Florian Franz, Rafael Tapia-Rojo, Sabina Winograd-Katz, Rajaa Boujemaa-Paterski, Wenhong Li, Tamar Unger, Shira Albeck, Camilo Aponte-Santamaria, Sergi Garcia-Manyes, Ohad Medalia, Benjamin Geiger, Frauke Graeter
Summary: This study reveals that talin activates vinculin through an intricate allosteric mechanism regulated by force. The interaction between vinculin and talin plays a crucial role in mechanosensing in cells.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gideon Obeng, Eun Jeong Park, Michael G. Appiah, Eiji Kawamoto, Arong Gaowa, Motomu Shimaoka
Summary: The study demonstrated that miR-200c-3p regulates integrin activation and cell adhesion by targeting TLN1.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xuewen Zhang, Nianping Wu, Huili Huang, Shi Li, Shicheng Liu, Rui Zhang, Yuan Huang, Hao Lyu, Shuai Xiao, Declan William Ali, Marek Michalak, Xing-Zhen Chen, Cefan Zhou, Jingfeng Tang
Summary: PTTG1 is a bona fide β-catenin binding protein that positively regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by inhibiting the destruction complex assembly and promoting β-catenin stabilization and nuclear localization. PTTG1's subcellular distribution is regulated by its phosphorylation status. It is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and associated with poor patient prognosis, as it promotes the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shimin Le, Miao Yu, Jie Yan
Summary: This review focuses on exploring the mechanical properties of tension-transmission supramolecular linkages formed by physically linked proteins in cells. It discusses the critical tension-bearing elements, such as protein-protein interfaces and protein domains within the linkage. The review highlights the technological principles, experimental progress, and theoretical understandings of tension-dependent structural transitions in proteins and their implications on cell mechanotransduction.
CURRENT OPINION IN SOLID STATE & MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Leo S. McCormack, Artem K. Efremov, Jie Yan
Summary: Research has found that proteins on finite-size DNA form oscillatory patterns, influenced by the DNA length and the proteins' binding cooperativity. The geometric characteristics of protein patterns are not significantly affected by small variations in proteins' affinity to DNA due to sequence heterogeneity. Competition between different types of proteins for binding to DNA leads to diverse and complex alternating positioning of the proteins.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Ritusree Biswas, Avinanda Banerjee, Sergio Lembo, Zhihai Zhao, Vairavan Lakshmanan, Ryan Lim, Shimin Le, Manando Nakasaki, Vassily Kutyavin, Graham Wright, Dasaradhi Palakodeti, Robert S. Ross, Colin Jamora, Valeri Vasioukhin, Yan Jie, Srikala Raghavan
Summary: Vinculin, a key mechanotransducer in cell junctions, is essential for maintaining the quiescence of bulge stem cells and regulating hair follicle cycling. Conditional knockout of vinculin in murine skin leads to weakened AJs, despite increased expression of Ecadherin and α-catenin. Mechanistically, vinculin functions by maintaining α-catenin in a stretched/open conformation, which controls the retention of YAP1 at the AJs, revealing a novel regulatory link between mechanical stability of cell junctions and maintenance of stem cell quiescence.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Miao Yu, Jung-Hsuan Lu, Shimin Le, Jie Yan
Summary: The extensively studied Ig domain I27 of titin has high mechanical stability under typical laboratory temperatures, but its unfolding rate drastically increases at physiological conditions with increased temperature. This finding provides new insights into the structural states and functions of I27 and other similar titin I-band Ig domains.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yinan Wang, Mingxi Yao, Karen B. Baker, Rosemarie E. Gough, Shimin Le, Benjamin T. Goult, Jie Yan
Summary: This study quantifies the kinetics of force-dependent talin-vinculin interactions and reveals a new regulatory mechanism in which mechanically exposed VBS binds vinculin more tightly. Molecular dynamics simulations provide insight into the force-dependent conformational changes in the VBS that modulate binding. Overall, the interplay between force and autoinhibition adds complexity to the major mechanosensing axis involving talin and vinculin.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Artem K. Efremov, Mingxi Yao, Yuze Sun, Yee Han Tee, Michael P. Sheetz, Alexander D. Bershadsky, Boris Martinac, Jie Yan
Summary: This study verifies the mechanosensitivity of L-type Ca2+ channels in Filopodia and reveals the interplay between mechanical forces and Ca2+ signaling in Filopodia, providing novel mechanistic insights into the guidance function of Filopodia in cell migration.
Article
Biophysics
Yunxin Deng, Artem K. Efremov, Jie Yan
Summary: Proteins rely on specific interactions with binding partners for their biological functions. Proteins with multiple binding domains can significantly enhance both the binding affinity and specificity, as well as lower the working concentration range. Positive domain-domain cooperativity or the presence of a non-specific binding domain can decrease the working concentration range by increasing the binding affinity without compromising the binding specificity. The configuration of bound ligands shows concentration dependence, providing insights into phase-separation processes in living cells.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Artem K. Efremov, Ladislav Hovan, Jie Yan
Summary: The size of the nucleus affects DNA-protein interactions and chromatin structure, which is determined by the difference in surface tensions between the nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum membrane, as well as the osmotic pressure exerted by cytosolic macromolecules. The cell nucleus also functions as a piezoelectric element, changing its electrostatic potential in a size-dependent manner and affecting the stability of nucleosomes.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wenmao Huang, Shimin Le, Yuze Sun, Dennis Jingxiong Lin, Mingxi Yao, Yi Shi, Jie Yan
Summary: This study demonstrates the catch-bond kinetics of adhesion between Gram-positive bacteria and their hosts using a magnetic tweezer-based single-molecule approach. The lifetime of the adhesion complex exponentially increases with increasing force, reaching up to 1000 seconds at 30 pN. The dissociation pathway involves the unbinding of a critical beta-strand peptide, leading to the dissociation of the ligand. Similar mechanical stabilization behavior is observed in other homologous adhesions, suggesting the generality of catch-bond kinetics in bacterial adhesions. This mechanical stabilization confers multiple advantages in the pathogenesis and adaptation of bacteria.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jingzhun Liu, Shimin Le, Mingxi Yao, Wenmao Huang, Zhikai Tio, Yu Zhou, Jie Yan
Summary: In this study, the tension-dependent lifetime of tension gauge tethers (TGTs) was quantified to enhance our understanding of their mechanical stability under various physiologically relevant stretching conditions. This research has broad applications in using TGTs as tension threshold and duration sensors and also raises questions about previous interpretations of experimental observations.
Article
Cell Biology
Florian Rouaud, Wenmao Huang, Arielle Flinois, Kunalika Jain, Ekaterina Vasileva, Thomas Di Mattia, Marine Mauperin, David A. D. Parry, Vera Dugina, Christine Chaponnier, Isabelle Mean, Sylvie Montessuit, Annick Mutero-Maeda, Jie Yan, Sandra Citi
Summary: Rouaud et al. demonstrate that cingulin and paracingulin interact with specific isoforms of myosin-2 through coiled-coil rod-mediated interactions and tether them to cell junctions. This interaction plays a crucial role in regulating junctional architecture and membrane properties. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms that govern the localization and function of nonmuscle myosins at cell junctions.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Lina M. Gallego-Paez, William J. S. Edwards, Manasa Chanduri, Yanyu Guo, Thijs Koorman, Chieh-Yu Lee, Nina Grexa, Patrick Derksen, Jie Yan, Martin A. Schwartz, Jan Mauer, Benjamin Thomas Goult
Summary: This study identified a previously unannotated cassette exon, referred to as exon 17b, in the TLN1 gene. The presence of this exon alters the function of the TLN1 protein in the mechanosensitive adapter system and affects cell adhesion dynamics and motility. This novel exon is detectable in multiple healthy tissues and significantly enriched in certain cancer subtypes.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jingjing Wang, Yuheng Fu, Wenmao Huang, Ritusree Biswas, Avinanda Banerjee, Joshua A. Broussard, Zhihai Zhao, Dongmei Wang, Glen Bjerke, Srikala Raghavan, Jie Yan, Kathleen J. Green, Rui Yi
Summary: This study reveals that hair follicle stem cells (SCs) and hair germ (HG) progenitors have different mechanical properties, with SCs being stiff and resistant to size change, while HG progenitors are soft and periodically enlarge and contract. During hair follicle growth, HGs reduce contraction and more frequently enlarge, which is associated with weakening of the actomyosin network and nuclear YAP accumulation. miR-205 can reduce actomyosin contractility and activate hair regeneration in mice.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yee Han Tee, Wei Jia Goh, Xianbin Yong, Hui Ting Ong, Jinrong Hu, Ignacius Yan Yun Tay, Shidong Shi, Salma Jalal, Samuel F. H. Barnett, Pakorn Kanchanawong, Wenmao Huang, Jie Yan, Yong Ann Ben Lim, Visalatchi Thiagarajan, Alex Mogilner, Alexander D. Bershadsky
Summary: Deviations from mirror symmetry in bilateral organisms are common, but the mechanisms of initial symmetry breaking are unclear. This study identifies actin polymerisation regulators involved in the chiral organisation of the actin cytoskeleton in individual cells and the alignment of cells in groups. This provides insights into the underlying mechanism of tissue and organ asymmetry.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yunxin Deng, Jie Yan
Summary: The mechanical responses of FLNC domains and their dimerization interface were investigated using magnetic tweezers. The study found that the dimerization interface of FLNC provides sufficient mechanical stability for force-dependent structural changes in rod-2 domains for signaling protein binding and maintains structural integrity of the rod-1 domains.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)